Oh No, I've Fallen in Love!

PROLOGUE 1994

She was lost.

Valerie pushed through the throng of people hoping to see her mum impatiently jiggling her brother’s pushchair or the worried face of her dad but instead all she could see was the uninterested faces of strangers.

The funfair was packed. Crowds were immense, and the noise was loud. Valerie turned one way and then the other, suddenly not worried about angering her parents but anxious about being left behind.

‘Mum!’ she called, but her voice was lost in all the din of the fair.

She began to walk, bypassing stalls and ignoring their calls to ‘hook a duck’ or ‘shoot the target’. Valerie’s eyes became hot, but she screwed up her mouth. She wasn’t going to cry. Her mum cried. She cried a lot, and it didn’t do any good.

‘Are you lost, sweetheart?’

Valerie looked up at a long-haired man smoking a cigarette. He held out a hand towards her, and she caught a whiff of stale nicotine. She turned from him and ran through the crowd, dodging people and ran until she felt it was safe.

With the thump, thump of the fair behind her, she fell to the grass wondering what she should do, then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the most amazing caravan ever—the sort owned by gipsies of old. Valerie remembered watching a program with her mum. It was all about Romany gipsies and led to an argument about why Valerie couldn’t have a horse. She stood up and squinted towards the caravan. An old woman was sitting on the steps to the caravan’s entrance.

Valerie headed back towards the funfair and towards the caravan. At her approach, the old woman stood up.

‘Come in, child and ‘ave your fortune read,’ she said, and Valerie stood and stared up at her.

‘Where’s your horse?’ she asked.

‘’Aving a rest,’ the old woman said and, beckoning Valerie, she moved beyond the beaded curtain.

Tentatively, Valerie climbed the steps. At the top, she parted the strands of beads and peeked inside. It was gloomy and not as pretty inside, as it was out.

The old woman, her mouth empty of teeth, was sitting at a table in front of a crystal ball. She smiled at her. ‘Come on, don’t dilly-dally,’ she said.

‘Are you a witch?’ Valerie asked.

The old woman grinned wider. ‘Of course, but I’m a good witch, and I tells fortunes.’

‘I’ve lost my mum and dad,’ Valerie said, stepping through the beaded curtain finally. It swished closed behind her.

‘I’ll help ya finds them,’ the old woman said and placed her hands on the crystal ball.

Valerie, her eyes wide, joined the woman at the table.

‘Ya future is mapped out already, little one,’ the witch said. ‘How old are ya, child?’

‘Eight,’ she said. ‘You’ll help me find my mum and dad?’

‘I sees lots of sadness.’

Valerie looked around for a cauldron and a broomstick.

‘I sees a curse!’

Valerie jumped and turned her attention back to the witch. She was peering hard into the crystal ball, her eyes growing rounder and rounder as she searched for images that Valerie couldn’t see—even though she peered to look.

‘Cursed!’ the witch looked from the ball and straight at Valerie with curious eyes. ‘Well, I nevers,’ she said.

Startled by the intense look the witch was giving her, Valerie fell back in her seat. ‘M-my mum?’ she reminded her.

‘A wicked, wicked curse is following you, child. Everyone ya love wills be taken. You’re cursed, child! Cursed by the Devil!’

Valerie jumped to her feet on a squeal, and not caring whether the witch turned her into a frog or not, she ran for the exit.

‘Everyone ya love wills be taken from ya! Death follows ya, child!’ the witch shouted after her.

Valerie flew past another woman about to climb the steps, almost knocking her down, and then raced through the crowds to put as much distance between her and the witch as she could.

CHAPTER ONE

Valerie

There was that woman again.

I saw her out of the corner of my eye. She was sitting on the wooden bench looking up at the church and then occasionally over in my direction. I crouched at the graveside, pushing stems of daisies and carnations through the wire holes in the top of the vase.

Crikey, it was cold. I stood up and pulled my gloves back on before stepping back to admire my handiwork. The flowers looked pretty. There was a plaque, but only my brother was buried there, the ashes of my parents had been scattered over the top. I picked up the paper the flowers had been wrapped in and mashed it in my hands.

I could still feel the curious stare of the woman whom I did my best to ignore. Unfortunately, the bin was by the bench where she was sitting, so I kept my head low as I approached.

‘Hello,’ she said.

I nodded, dropped the litter and turned away. I pulled up the collar on my coat, not only to block out this stranger’s inquisitive eyes but because the icy air was stinging my cheeks. I wondered how she could sit for so long without freezing up.

‘I’m Ellen,’ she said.

I nodded brusquely back, not willing to get into a conversation.

‘November’s turned cold, hasn’t it?’ she said, standing and falling into step beside me. ‘Do you think we’ll have snow? We’ve been lucky with the weather so far, but I think we can safely say that winter has arrived,’ she said. ‘Are you a winter person?’

Not only had she invaded my space, but she was also asking anal questions too. She didn’t bother to wait for an answer, which was good, seeing as I wasn’t going to supply one but prattled on with another question:

‘Who’re you visiting?’ She nodded over to my brother’s grave.

‘Family,’ I said.

‘Close family?’

With the gates in sight, I afforded her a brief glance. ‘Not any longer.’

Her smile waned a little, but I strode forward, hoping to be first through the gates. But it didn’t happen like that, and we ended up locked together between black iron.

She burst into peals of laughter before stepping back and allowing me to exit first. I gave her a no-nonsense smile and stepped through the gates towards my car. The car park was almost empty, so I couldn’t understand why a bright red Mini was parked so close to my car.

I heard Ellen giggling behind me, and I had a horrible feeling that the Mini belonged to her. I beeped my car open, but there was no way I could get access unless it was from the passenger side.

I turned to Ellen. She grinned at me, aimed the keys and bleeped her car. ‘Brilliant things, aren’t they?’ she said.

‘What?’

She jiggled her keys. ‘These beepy things.’

I slammed my bag on the bonnet of my car and glared at her. ‘We are the only cars here so why park so close to mine?’

She stared at me, but much to my chagrin, her smile only got wider. She winked, then circled to the driver’s side of her car where she opened the door and slipped inside. ‘Take care of that blood pressure of yours,’ she said and closed the door.

She drove away, leaving me staring after her.

‘Cheeky bitch,’ I said. I’d seen her before, I remembered. It was summertime, and she had been on that same bench. She’d smiled, but hadn’t attempted to speak that time.

On a sigh, I climbed into my car and shoved the keys in the ignition. Putting the heating on full pelt, I drove out of the car park.

Come to think of it, I’d seen her before then too, and I remembered her because she was wearing a bright green raincoat with a huge sunflower on the back. At the time I’d thought how ridiculous it looked—not that I judged people.

Scowling, I came to a stop at a green light. Impatiently, I stabbed at my horn with the heel of my hand and a car at the front of the queue bunny-jumped over the junction. I noticed it was the Mini from the graveyard.

I’ll change my visits from the middle of every month to the end, I thought. That way I’d not encounter the mad old biddy again.

I STEPPED INSIDE THE foyer of my office and, ignoring the lift, I climbed the stairs. It wasn’t that I wanted the exercise, I just didn’t like lifts. I didn’t like most things to be honest: animals, people, modern music, reality TV, to name a few. I liked numbers and data. They were my forte, safe and reliable numbers.

The office block was three storeys. The first floor was taken by one firm, and besides saying ‘hello,’ we never spoke at all. I shared the middle floor with an accountancy firm. I rented the largest office, which had a connecting door to a smaller one. The smaller office was mine, and it overlooked Sallington Park, the other room was for my staff. The top floor was a recruitment agency, whose clients always seemed to be loitering on the stairs. As I approached my office, I heard the steady drone of office banter—all two of them. I’m the manager of a financial advisory brokerage for Sunny Oak.

I pushed open the door.

‘Mr McFindley has called to cancel tonight’s appointment,’ Tim informed me before I was barely over the threshold, ‘and I’ve chased Tracey Sadark for her previous insurance details. She’s promised to phone them through later this afternoon. I’ve three new appointments booked for tonight, and it’s only eleven o’clock! Oh, and I’ve ordered new stationery from HQ, but there’s going to be a delay on stamps for the new logo.’ He jumped up to give me his list and then proceeded over to the bubbling percolator and poured me a coffee.

He was Tim the Tireless. At five foot nothing and approaching retirement age, Tim would never walk if he could run.

‘And did you call Darren Yardley like I asked?’

‘Of course. Mr Yardley’s going to email over his details.’ He grinned and handed me a cup of steaming coffee that resembled tar—just how I liked it. ‘I’ve arranged an interview with your new assistant for tomorrow afternoon at three.’ He whipped out his notebook. ‘I’ve her details–’

‘Not now, Tim.’ I raised a hand to shut him off. My eyes fell on a pile of customer files still sitting on top of the filing cabinet from yesterday. ‘Paul?’ I said, pointing. ‘Why hasn’t the filing been done?’

‘There isn’t any filing, Miss Anthrope,’ he said. He insisted on calling me by my surname at all times. He’d only recently learned to stop standing when I entered a room, so small mercies. I noticed that he was busy sorting coloured paper clips into little piles of blue, red and pink, on his desk.

‘What’s that then?’ I said, still pointing at the filing.

He peered at me through his owl-framed glasses, and then at the files. ‘Are they for filing?’

‘Yes, Paul,’ I said. ‘They were there yesterday and probably last week, too.’

Paul dived on a coloured paper clip and held it up to the light as if admiring a diamond. ‘An orange paper-clip,’ he said. ‘Now these are unusual.’

‘Tell me again when I can retire him?’ I said to Tim.

‘Leave him to me, Valerie,’ he said.

‘Pleasure.’ Feeling a headache coming on, I left them for my smaller office. Inside, I placed my coffee on my desk, and unbuttoned my coat, but didn’t take it off. I was still cold from the graveyard visit.

I touched the radiator. It was lukewarm. Rubbing my hands together, I gazed out of the window while trying to encourage warmth from the radiator below. I’d meant to bring in my little heater from home but forgot. I must remember for tomorrow. I didn’t want the cold to put off my interviewee. I hadn’t much success with staff. Tim and Paul were seemingly the only ones I could hang on to.

Tim was my sales representative, he was good at selling, or rather, talking. I think people signed on the dotted line just to be rid of him. Paul, a general assistant, wanted to work fewer hours and I thought hiring someone to job-share alongside him would be a good idea, with the added benefit that the new person could be a sort of PA for me. I wanted to concentrate on sales and presentations and leave the general running of the office to someone else.

I vowed to try and be nice in the interview.

It wouldn’t be easy.

CHAPTER TWO

Lex

Lex Kendal strode into the foyer of Ladwick. ‘Mrs Jackson, looking gorgeous as ever!’ he said as he approached the receptionist’s desk. She patted her hair in a sudden fluster as Lex swept by. He bypassed the lifts and took the stairs two at a time to the top floor.

His PA met him at the door to his office. She began to speak, but he interrupted, ‘You’re looking as fresh as a daisy this sunny morning, Clair!’

‘Oh.’ She blushed and glanced down at her yellow cardigan, which she adjusted. ‘You noticed.’

‘Of course, I noticed!’ He grinned, knowing she was wearing yellow because he’d mentioned the colour would suit her. He reached for the handle of his office door.

‘Wait,’ she said. ‘You have a visitor. I couldn’t stop her. She just barged her way in, and I was about to call security.’

Oh no, not another disgruntled ex! He thought Nikki had finally got the message. Even so, security was a bit extreme. ‘Thanks, Clair, I’ll take it from here,’ he said.

‘You sure?’ She looked as though she wasn’t going to move from the doorway but then stepped aside.

Lex pushed open the door, ready for an onslaught of abuse from one of his flings. That’s what he called them because that’s all they were to him. Women used him for his money, so he used them for their...attributes. His soon-to-be ex-wife was a prime example. She had been a gold-digger to the very end, even while seeing other men behind his back. Could he say their marriage ended in a lot of heartache when there hadn’t been any aching of hearts?

Bracing himself, he stepped over the threshold.

His high-backed leather chair spun around.

‘Ellen!’ he said and stood open-mouthed as she lurched towards him for a hug. ‘I thought you were in Ghana. When did you get back?’

‘I’m back for Christmas,’ she said.

Lex, with Ellen still dangling around his neck, turned to his shocked PA. ‘Clair, meet my aunt, Ellen. She’s a missionary worker in far-flung places.’

‘She didn’t say,’ mumbled Clair. ‘I’ll bring coffee, shall I?’

‘That’ll be great,’ he said as Ellen detangled herself from him. He closed the door after Clair and turned back to his aunt. ‘I haven’t seen you since July or thereabouts!’

His aunt was so different from most women. The women he knew liked glamour and spending money on themselves, Ellen loved squalor and giving money away.

‘Does Mum know you’re back?’ he asked, watching as Ellen sank back down in his chair. She looked lost, also dwarfed by the vast window that overlooked the Thames. He perched on the corner of his desk.

Ellen wrinkled her nose. ‘Not yet.’

Lex laughed. His mum disapproved of her younger sister.

‘How’s Gemerald?’ Ellen asked. Gemma was his daughter, the only good thing to come out of his marriage.

‘Our little Gemerald has all grown up.’

‘Doing well in her exams?’

Lex rolled his eyes. ‘She wanted to be a lawyer, but since your last phone call, she now wants to be a missionary worker.’

Ellen beamed.

‘It’s not good, Ellen,’ Lex admonished. ‘I don’t want my daughter in dangerous parts of the world, living on dirt floors.’

‘Hmmm, your words or your mother’s?’

‘You know what I mean, so don’t pretend otherwise.’ He stood to grab the door as he saw Clair’s shadowy figure behind the frosted glass. She entered with a tray of two cappuccinos. She eyed Ellen mistrustfully, but put the tray down without a word, then picked up the little sugar bowl, and raised her eyes meaningfully at Ellen.

‘Oh, that’s all right, dear. We can do that,’ said Ellen.

Clair glanced at Lex, and he said, ‘Put off Marshall, will you? Tell him I’ll reschedule for this afternoon.’

‘I’m not keeping you, am I?’ asked Ellen as Clair left them.

Lex shook his head. ‘Of course not.’ He reached for his coffee and grimaced. ‘She knows I hate these frothy coffees. What’s wrong with regular black coffee? She had me drinking mint coffee the other day. What’s that all about?’

Ellen smiled and stirred in sugar. She looked around his spacious office with its dark panelled walls and walnut desk. ‘Business still doing well?’

‘Plans are underway to build another Ladwick in Dublin. I want a store in every capital of the world before I retire.’

‘Very ambitious,’ said Ellen. ‘Ever take a break?’

‘Live hard and fast is my motto.’

‘Be careful you’re not burnt out before you’re forty.’ She sniffed. ‘The last time I was here, you were happily married, Alex. What happened?’ She and his mother were the only people to call him Alex.

‘We were never happily married, Ellen. We stuck it out because of Gem.’

‘Isn’t there a way back for you both?’

He shook his head.

‘Oh, Alex! And you never told me!’

‘There was no point. The marriage was dead a long time ago.’

‘So why end it now?’

‘I didn’t. She left me.’

‘Oh?’

‘You’ve got that look that says tell me everything, so I can fix it. Ellen, there’s nothing to fix. She left me, I’m glad. End of.’ He took a sip of coffee before putting it down. ‘It was Gemma who told us to go our separate ways, and I feel absolutely terrible that we were making her that unhappy.’

‘She’s a smart girl.’

‘I know. Gemma’s like you in so many ways.’

‘And are you happy with how things have turned out?’

‘You bet! I’m single, and I intend to enjoy it!’

‘Hmmm.’

‘What d’you mean, hmmm?’

‘You’re hurting, Alex, I can see it even if you don’t. What made her leave?’

‘It was a joint decision.’

‘Really?’

Lex shrugged, picking up his coffee. ‘A more exciting man,’ he muttered into the froth.

‘So, what is he? An actor? A pop star?’

‘An American.’

‘Ah,’ said Ellen.

‘He’s a model.’

‘Eww,’ Ellen said, pulling a face. ‘What sort of job is that? And who wants a namby-pamby man in their life?’

‘Fiona, apparently.’ A thought occurred. ‘You’re not back because of me, are you? Christ, Ellen, our split’s been on the cards for years!’

‘That was part of the reason,’ she admitted. ‘The other was because I’ve done what Eddie and I set out to do.’

Lex’s smile died. Eddie was Ellen’s husband and had been dead eighteen years, but everyone knew how much she still grieved. ‘Everything OK?’

She nodded. ‘I sat on Eddie’s bench in the graveyard, and we had a nice chat. He’s in agreement with me that I ought to slow down.’

‘He’ll be proud of you,’ he said. ‘You’ve achieved a huge amount.’

‘Thanks, pet.’ She sipped her coffee as Lex tried to think of something to say. There was nothing like mentioning a departed loved-one to kill a conversation.

‘Let’s just say I want to concentrate on my family for a while. I’ve applied for a job,’ she added.

‘What! Here in this country?’

She nodded. ‘A proper pen to paper job too, or rather fingertips on a keyboard. I’ve applied for a part-time vacancy as a bookkeeper,’ she said proudly.

‘Bookkeeper?’

‘Yep, for Sunny Oak Brokerage. Not too far from here, so I’ll be able to keep my eye on you. The interview is tomorrow.’ She checked her watch. ‘And I have a hair appointment this afternoon. I want to look my best.’

Lex laughed. ‘You’ll not last a week!’

‘I will. If I get the job, that is. The last time I had an interview was back in the sixties for a hospital job.’

‘Hospital? I thought you were a teacher.’

‘I’ve done all sorts of things, Alex,’ she said. ‘You name it, I’ve done it.’

‘Deep-sea diving.’

‘Egypt, two thousand and one.’

He laughed. ‘So why a brokerage? And a bookkeeper? It sounds very dull and regimented compared to what you’re used to.’

‘The boss is very, er, interesting.’

‘Ah.’

‘Ah?’

Lex wagged a finger. ‘You haven’t stopped helping, have you? And you’ve your beady sight on your poor unsuspecting boss! Have you ever thought that he mightn’t take kindly to your helping?’

‘It’s Miss Anthrope. And she won’t find out.’

‘Misanthrope?’

‘That’s what I said.’

Lex snorted. ‘Misanthrope! Oh, Ellen, I hope that’s not an omen.’

CHAPTER THREE

Valerie

Tim popped his head around my office door. ‘Mrs Ellen Semple,’ he said, and stood back.

Surely not? But in she came, all smiles and teeth, the same mad, old woman from the cemetery. Her hands were outstretched as if she wanted to hug me. I was just glad I had a desk as a barrier.

‘What a coincidence,’ she said, and the desk proved no barrier at all because she leaned across to kiss me on either cheek. Not an air-kiss, but a real sloppy smacker on either cheek. Ugh!

‘You know one another?’ asked Tim, looking as shocked as I felt.

‘Not at all,’ I said, determined to put her in her place. ‘Please sit down.’ I indicated the chair I’d pulled up on the other side of my desk. I looked over at Tim. ‘Two coffees, please.’

‘Actually, I prefer tea,’ Ellen said, sitting and pulling off her brightly coloured gloves. She unwound her equally colourful scarf from around her neck. ‘I’m drinking too much coffee today, and it really doesn’t agree with me. You know how it is, too much caffeine and I’m like a cat on a hot tin roof!’

I nodded to Tim, and he left looking smug as if he knew that I’d met my match.

‘Either that or I’m in and out of the loo twenty-four-seven,’ she prattled. ‘Right, let’s get down to business, shall we, dear? Tell me a little about this company. Set it up yourself?’

Blimey. Take over, why don’t you!

‘I’m a broker for Sunny Oak,’ I said, keen to take back control. ‘Tim is a sales rep, and Paul does the admin. I need a part-timer to supplement Paul’s duties and complete the weekly financial reports for head office.’ Ellen’s head was bobbing up and down as I spoke. ‘Your hours will be a couple of days a week, or three mornings or afternoons. I’m flexible.’

Ellen raised an eyebrow as if she doubted my flexibility.

‘What was your previous job?’ I asked.

‘I’m a trained teacher,’ she said. ‘And we, my husband and I, taught English in Ghana and Tanzania. I met him out there. Love at first sight, it was. But when he became ill, we came back to England, and I did various jobs to earn a few pennies. Most fun!’ She lowered her voice and leaned over the desk saying, ‘I worked with a travelling circus once and helped with the elephants!’

She smiled as I sat there, dumbfounded. I think she took my expression as wonderment, and not one of ‘I should call the local care-home and ask if one of their patients is missing’ looks.

‘Anyway, his illness got worse, and I became his carer before he went into a hospice.’ Her face shadowed a bit. ‘After he died, I taught in Malawi—beautiful country, but then I wanted to do something more and so went back to Tanzania and then eventually Ghana and joined with the missionaries. I tried to do my bit in Afghanistan, but the security is dreadful. How can one fulfil duties while being guarded left, right and centre? Honestly, I couldn’t breathe!’

Was she winding me up?

Tim came in with our drinks, walking slowly for a change. ‘Here we go,’ he said cheerfully. Ellen beamed at him.

‘Mrs Semple, tell me why you chose to apply to work here?’ I asked once Tim had left.

‘It’s time I settled down. As I said,